Music to My Ears
by Vampykitty-kun
Summary: Months after the Eve War, Noin and Zechs find themselves in space on their newest mission. However, outside of their lives as Soldiers, they find that they've not got much to talk about. Noin finds herself looking forward to her special video messages.
1. Nothing in Common

'Music to My Ears' is a sorta prequel to a fic called 'Meet Me Halfway' which is written by myself and Anita_Reality_Check under the account Ryu and Lali. However, it does just fine on its own!

This fic will likely be a max of 6 chapters long.

Pairings are: Duo/Hilde (engaged), Zechs/Noin (strained), Quatre/Noin (sorta one sided, at least at first), and Heero/Relena (really only implied).

There is no slash in this fic.

This is the revised version of this chapter. I will be revising chapters 2 and 3 as well.

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It had been three months since the Eve War, and two since Zechs and Noin had set off on their own for Mars. Lady Une had requested that they immediately travel and assist in the Mars Terriformation Project. Since Noin had been dead set on not letting Zechs out of her sight since his sudden shocking return, Une was forced to send her on assignment as well, even though Noin was her right hand man...woman... and she would have preferred her help back on home turf.

Zechs and Noin had both found the Mars project rather boring and uneventful, but if Une felt the need to have things supervised, there had to be something brewing up in space.

They now had far more free time than they had ever had to throw around before, which led them to acting much more like civilians than the soldiers they had been just months before. Mars was still trying to set up a stabilized colony, and air tight suits still had to be worn around the planet. But once back on ship, life was pretty much normal...and that was why things were odd. That was where things were strained.

Noin had practically grown up in the military. Her older siblings had become soldiers long before her, and in doing so, she had been admitted far younger than most soldiers could ever claim. She had only been in her early teens when she had met Treize...and Zechs.

Civilian life did NOT come naturally to either of them, and this, Noin had discovered, put a large rift in their relationship. Outside of the war zone, out of battle, they had nothing to talk about except the past, and neither of them could think of what to speak about in regards to their futures. Now, with all of their free time, they found themselves many days just sitting in silence, and she honestly wondered if things could ever change for either of them in the long run.

Today was just one of those days where Noin could no longer bear the silence, and as Zechs sat cross-legged in front of the monitor, reading one of the Earth newspapers on the screen, she could take it no more.

"Living with you is honestly like living with a statue!" She exploded, making Zechs startle, spilling his coffee across the television stand beside him.

Dribbles immediately began to drop to the floor, and the blonde stared at her with wide eyes.

"That was...uncalled for, Noin. Seriously, don't break the silence like that. I've lived through two wars, barely by the skin of my teeth, and don't feel much like dying of a heart attack." He sighed, turning towards the woman.

Noin slipped down into the seat beside him and hung her head.

"I'm sorry... really. I'm just going stir crazy out here. It's just the two of us out here, we're stuck in open space, and you're always so quiet that it's like being in solitary. It's getting to me..." She groaned.

He eyed her curiously.

"You ARE your own person Noin. You're free to go if you wish it. I've never been a talkative man, you should know this by now..." He managed a weak smile, and she caved, returning it.

"I promised myself, and you, that I wouldn't leave your side again. I feel as though if I leave, you'll suddenly disappear, and all of this will have been a dream."

Zechs gave a small huff before chuckling and shaking his head. Noin only frowned deeply.

"Now what the hell do you find so funny _Milliardo_!?" She hissed.

"Do you frequently dream of eight year old little girls, who are surprise daughters of deceased friends, taking over the galaxy? That's one hell of a war to have dreamt up." He grinned, bringing a smile to Noin's face as well. "Let me know what you've been taking at night, I've clearly got to have some for myself."

Noin couldn't help but giggle.

"You KNOW what I meant Zechs...honestly..." She shook her head chuckling. "But seriously, liven up a bit will you? Now, scoot on over. I've got to see if we've received any messages today. I hate being out of real time contact with everyone. Makes me nervous." She muttered, tapping at the controls. "I'd like to see someone from the outside world for a change. No one has contacted us in well over a week."

He sighed, and instead simply shifting to the side, he left his seat entirely and went in search of a towel to mop the coffee up with.

Noin gave a small sigh as she watched him go, and quickly accessed their inbox. She was immediately pleased to see that they had received at least one message, originating from the L4 colonies for a change. She smiled knowingly, and was pleased to see Quatre's face pop up on screen as she pulled up the recorded video feed.

"**Hello Ms. Noin!"** He said joyfully.

Noin smiled, and relaxed her muscles, getting comfortable in her seat.

"**I sincerely hope that you and Zechs are doing all right out there. Things here on L4 have been quite boring now that things are starting to settle down. I've been swarmed with paperwork for weeks now, and with all the clients, assistants, and family running around over here, there has been no chance of me slipping away for now. I wonder...have you heard any news on Heero's whereabouts? The only glimpses of him we've seen over the past few months have been at Ms. Relena's meetings and speeches. He always disappears before we can say hi to him. Relena says that he's 'around' but she leaves him to his own devices. Wufei and Sally have been too busy with their assignments to spare a few moments to converse with me, but Duo and Hilde have visited me every other week, and they still hope that you can be back for their wedding, remember to keep that in mind! Just last weekend, Trowa's troop was in town, and we got to spend some quality time together. They have been getting plenty of bookings and customers over the last month or so. People are anxious to put the past behind them and bring back the good times."**

He paused during his message briefly to take a large gulp of his tea that sat on the desk at his side. Zechs also returned at this time and began soaking up the spill from earlier, ignoring the vid screen.

"**I really wish that everyone had more time to spend with each other, but it seems as though we are ALL pretty busy when there isn't a war going on right outside our doors. Well, as I am sure that you are lacking in simple pleasantries while up in space, cooped up in a ship most of the time, I thought that I would treat you to something you haven't had in a long time Ms. Noin!"**

Zechs turned to the screen and his eyes narrowed curiously.

What was that boy rambling on about?

Noin blinked as Quatre stood up in front of the screen and bowed, before turning around and walking to the back of the room. Her eyes widened, and she grinned as he took seat on a long red cushioned bench in front of a beautiful grand piano, and he began to play.

The piece lasted several minutes, and Noin watched, and listened in silent admiration. She could not deny the boy's talent, and she had always loved it when she would happen upon him in his random moments of playing those times they had been stationed together.

Zechs had quickly gotten bored with the sudden melody, and had gone back to scrubbing the coffee off of the floor

"Honestly Zechs, have you no appreciation for any of the arts?" She sighed, shaking her head sadly at the man, and turned back to the screen.

This was one video message she was never going to delete.


	2. Preventing Visitation

This is the revised edition of this chapter.

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Noin stared up at the steel ceiling with disgust. It had been two days since they had last left the ship, and boredom could not sum up her exact feelings. She had listened to Quatre's message seven times now, much to Zechs' disgust, but it was her only piece of the outside world, her only connection to someone she knew outside of the ship.

She had responded to Quatre immediately, thanking him for taking the time to do something so beautiful, and well needed, just for her. She had let him know that they indeed still planned to come back at least for the wedding (if she survived that long) and told him to feel free to bless her with future performances if he felt the urge.

Zechs had been as silent as ever, even after her little outburst. His lack of reaction honestly made her wonder if he was thankful for her company, or was secretly wishing he were still wherever he had been the past year that he had been 'dead'.

Zechs never did say where he had been for that entire year, who he had been with, or what he had been doing. This of course made her think that perhaps, she did not want to know... and that worried her.

Zechs had left the bedroom hours earlier, and was likely slumped in a chair somewhere, reading one thing or another. She had decided to not follow him, and had opted for some time alone with her thoughts.

Things had been strained with them ever since his sudden reappearance. At first, she had thought that the man was far too caught up in the Mariemaia situation, who had not been? But soon after, she could see that even after all was said and done with Zechs was not the same person he had been when they had been together in 195. She had noticed the change prior to his supposed death... everyone had... but she had honestly expected him to revert once he had had some time to recover. She had clearly been wrong.

Zechs had always been quiet, reserved, but not like this. He had always been more than capable of bringing himself into a conversation, and he would almost always try. Now, it took a lot of persuasion from Noin to get the man talking. Furthermore, he always seemed... sad, for a lack of a better word.

Sad was an emotion that rarely graced the fine features of Zechs Marquise in the old days. Now, it seemed to be his permanent mood. With this onslaught of sadness came those awkward moments where Zechs would tell her she could always leave, as if he was hoping one day she would. There were also those times of extreme laughter, where the man just seemed to let everything go. But things were far from normal, and Noin was most content with normal.

As for their relationship...

They had picked up right where they had once left off when the Mars trip had first begun. They had found comfort in each other's arms, leading to a night of passion she was sure to never forget... but since then? Zechs had not laid a hand on her. He could barely lay eyes on her.

She was not a needy woman, not in the slightest. But after the man had been 'dead' for a year, and staying celibate for that entire time, one night in bed with Zechs was sheer torture when celibacy returned the next day and then stayed for months.

At this point, she was about ready to cave, and strut around the ship in her birthday suit... just to spark some reaction from the man.

That thought was interrupted however, as Zechs began calling her from within the control room.

She groaned, and lifted herself from the chilled sheets, adjusting her night gown as she went. She padded, barefoot, into the room, to find Zechs sifting through emails again.

"What's up?" She asked, stretching, before draping herself around the man's shoulders.

"That gundam pilot has sent you another message. Thought you ought to know." He pulled out of her embrace, and walked across the room, moving to check their radar.

She eyed him oddly, before taking his seat, and opening the video message.

"**Ms. Noin!**" Quatre chirped happily, waving to the screen.

And just like that, she could not help but giggle, her earlier frustrations returning to the back of her mind.

Zechs turned to face the screen with a scowl.

"**I am very glad you were pleased with my sudden inclusion of a musical addition in the last message. I will be sure to make a point of sending you such tidbits more often.** **I have GREAT news! Ms. Une has permitted me to arrange a trip into space to spend a few days out by you. Is that not fantastic? I get a chance to get away from the company for a few, and you can have some outside company too. I have already arranged for one of my sisters to take charge during my short absence. I will be arriving on Thursday, and I will likely stay throughout the weekend. Rashid will be transporting me, and he has supplied me with a rather cozy air mattress. I can camp wherever you can put me- eh? Duo! I am not-**"

Duo roughly shoved Quatre to the side of the screen, and waved rather dramatically.

"**Heyo Noin! Man, Quatre can be such a polite bore, right? Any who, just thought it might be nice to see someone NOT blonde for a change, know what I mean?" **He raised an eyebrow.** "Haven't seen you in a while, but I hope you're doing alright. No one REALLY knows what you two are doing up there, but I hope you're having fun, know what I mean?**" He smirked and wagged his eyebrows.

Noin felt a deep blush creep up her cheeks.

Quatre had gasped, going bright red himself, but before he could protest to Duo, Hilde slipped on screen, grabbing a hold of Duo's ear. The braided man complained loudly as he was dragged out of view.

Quatre did not look pleased with his friend, and a giggle crept up her throat once more.

Hilde reappeared briefly to mouth 'sorry' at the screen, before tending to her soon to be husband.

Quatre took in a deep breath, and released it slowly.

"**I am so sorry Ms. Noin...Duo should not pry into your private life. I assure you that I had no idea he would open up such raunchy topics once he got the chance to speak his mind. I now know better, and he will refrain from mentioning such things again, or so help me...**" He glared at the off screen Duo, and then quickly turned back to the screen smiling. **"Regardless, I hope to see you soon! I am bringing a keyboard with me, as I could not possibly transport the full size piano safely, so I will be able to play in person for you again. Bye!"**

Noin grinned as the screen faded to black again.

"Message him back, and tell him not to come." Zechs grumbled from behind, fixing himself a glass of strong coffee.

Noin froze, and spun around to face the man.

"What?" her eyes widened.

Zechs glared.

"I don't want him up in our business. He has no purpose out here other than to escape reality. He'll distract us." he scoffed.

Noin let out a laugh in disbelief.

"He has clearance from Lady Une. I'm not going to stop him from coming because YOU decide to be an anti-social ass, Zechs." She crossed her arms. "Hell, we're practically sitting ducks out here, doing absolutely nothing! There has been no conflict, no need for us to supervise anything. We are only out here to assist if something _does_ go wrong." she huffed.

"Noin, please, I would rather it just be just the two of us on this ship."

This finally irked Noin, and she let loose.

"Why just us? It's not like Duo's accusations were true! You barely speak to me let alone TOUCH me! So what if Quatre is wondering around the ship day or night? It's not like he can walk in on us doing anything. I WANT the company, since you are about as vocal as a turtle." her eyes narrowed at him, breathing heavily.

"Turtle?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

Her eye twitched.

"God! You're hopeless!" She growled, throwing her hands up in the air as she stood. "Just- shut up, again... and continue giving me the silent treatment!" She let out a frustrated scream, and stomped off.

Zechs watched her go, and then fell back into the chair smirking.

"If she won't call him off, I will..."

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	3. The Arrival

Well, here is chapter 3 at last... it was inevitably coming as Anita won't stop harping on me to let her read the next chapter...

So here it is, in all its humorous glory.

I hope you enjoy it, and hope to hear about what you thought of it!

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Quatre blinked.

What could he have possibly done to deserve this?

He replayed the message again, this time with Duo at his side.

"Harsh man... You evidently rubbed him the wrong way. Tough break."

~Ten Minutes Earlier…

"**I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you can't just go ahead and invite yourself into people's dwellings without consulting all occupants! I don't care if Une gave you permission to visit. Be a man, suck it up, and deal with your own damn business. I don't need you prancing around the ship babbling your head off while I'm trying to work, and to hell with playing your damned instruments. This. Ship. ECHOES!" **He banged on the desk to get his point across.** "You're not coming. This will not be up for discussion again, so do not, DO NOT, go whining your preppy little head off to Noin just because I've burst your happy little bubble-"**

And with that, the Message had ended, leaving a shocked and confused Quatre.

~Present...  


Quatre frowned crossing his arms worriedly.

"I...I don't understand Duo...I didn't do a thing to the man, why is he being so rude?" Quatre murmured, staring at the blank screen thoughtfully.

Duo only shook his head sadly, a look of disbelieve on his normally joyful face.

"I don't know Quatre... Clearly he;s just got some unknown issue with you. Personally, I'd just tell him to go suck a nutsack-" Duo, was cut off, and silenced as Hilde whapped him upside the room, having come into the room at those words.

He grunted and rubbed the spot tenderly.

"Hilde! I'm being serious! The guy's a douche!" He grumbled.

The girl only sighed, and patted Du on the shoulder.

"Quatre, don't listen to him, I'd rather not hear those words come out of your mouth..." She glared at her fiancé, although a small smile threatened to make way onto her face. "What's happened while I was gone? Why would you want Quatre to tell anyone to 'Go suck on a nutsack'?" She asked, as she chuckled.

Quatre's cheeks burned.

"Oh our Dear friend Zechs decided that he didn't WANT Quatre to visit them, and proceeded to bash our poor blonde's kindness, music playing skills, and business all in one loud, long drawn out rant-fest via vid-mail. I'm tellin' ya Hilde, shit's gonna hit the fan with that relationship while they're out there, mark my words...the guy's a dick." Duo huffed, shoving a hand full of potato chips into his mouth.

Hilde rolled her eyes at the brunette, and turned back to Quatre.

"Well, don't you listen to him Quatre! You're a nice guy, and he has no reason to treat you like that! I'm sure Ms. Noin would LOVE to have you visit, so don't let his crab ass stop you from bringing her a little happiness. God only knows what she's putting up with all the way out there." she grumbled, crossing her arms.

Quatre gave a weak smile, and cleared his throat, taking a sip of his tea.

"No... he won't stop me, but I'm not going to invade their ship either. If he doesn't want me on their ship, I can respect that." Hilde groaned, but the blonde raised a hand to stop her. " But, I AM still going. I'll just... take my own ship, and dock with theirs. I'll keep to my own ship, and Ms. Noin can come and go as she pleases. He should have no worries. My ship won't _echo_..." He grumbled, turning on the vid phone for a live conversation, rather than another emailed message type.

Hilde giggled, shaking her head slightly.

The boys in this group were just so crafty sometimes...

A Warm face appeared on the screen, and Quatre beamed at the man.

"Rasid! It's good to see you!" He laughed, grinning at the man.

Rasid looked just as pleased to see him, and returned the blonde's smile.

"Master Quatre! To what do we owe this pleasure?" He asked, settling into his chair.

Other men could be seen waving in the background, and Quatre happily returned their wave as he spoke with the older man.

"I could really use an extra favor."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Noin spent the next two days ignoring Zechs, going as far as even locking him out of the bedroom at night, forcing him to sleep in one of the recliners. He said nothing to her, and never even gave her an odd glance. If anything, her plan was backfiring... it seemed as though her avoidance of him was doing nothing but punishing herself, as she longed to be with the man. But why couldn't he just be like any NORMAL man, and at the very least complain? At least then she could say it was alright to come to bed again...

If she did it now, it would only make her seem all the more pathetic, caving in on what she herself had started.

Her only comfort was that Quatre would be arriving the next day, to stay through the weekend, whether Zechs was pleased with it or not. It was pretty much all that she could look forward to out in the depths of space, alone with a man that could easily pass as a statue these days...

She showered, and returned to her night clothes, heading towards the ridiculously tiny kitchen, where she microwaved herself a quesadilla. She would have given ANYTHING to have something far more edible... even a never ending pasta bowl via her doting mother would suffice.

After chomping down her food, she went to the cockpit to see what Zechs was up to, but the lights had already been dimmed, and he'd already curled up in one of the recliners, with one of his many small books.

She gave a weak smile, and returned to the bedroom, curling up in her own bed.

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She woke early the next morning so should could prepare for Quatre's arrival. Zechs stayed in the cockpit, still asleep, she assumed. By the time she had straightened up the ship, it was already well past noon, and Noin had begun to worry.

Quatre was always prepped, and on time. His lateness was something to be worried about, and as Zechs was still shut up in the cockpit, she couldn't even check her email to see if something had stalled the young man, or if something important had come up, preventing him from arriving.

He…wouldn't have…right?

"Yes, yes he would…" she muttered, stopping in front of the steel door.

"ZECHS!" She shouted, banging at the door.

No answer.

"Milliardo Peacecraft, I'm coming in! If I so much as even THINK you've had anything to do with Quatre's late arrival, so help me!" She barked, typing in the keys to open the sliding steel door.

Zechs sat draped across the pilot's seat, facing away from her, shoulders stiff.

"Zechs!" She hissed, stomping over to the man. "Explain, NOW!"

Slowly but surely, the man turned his head towards the raging woman, a grimace evident on his face.

"Now, Noin… don't overreact-"

"You DID!" She gasped, throwing her arms into the air. "How childish can you get! What did you do?"

The man paled, and crossed his arms tightly.

"I did nothing except simply tell the boy that I'd prefer him not to come. I never did get an answer; I just assume that he's honoring my wishes." He huffed, watching Noin carefully.

The woman's face seemed to be turning purple, and he was waiting patiently for her explosion.

Only it never came… instead tears fell in the anger's place.

Zechs froze and became tense.

"… Noin?" He murmured softly, tilting his head.

"You can be such an ass!" She snarled, knocking the man's coffee off the counter, into his lap.

Zechs leapt out of his seat, slapping at his pants to rid himself of the hot liquid.

"Noin!" he squawked.

She glared at him, her face scrunched up in effort to stop her tears.

"I've been looking forward to this! How could you actually tell him not to come! You have no clue, Zechs, how lonely I am out here! You never speak to me anymore, we never have company, and HELL! I can't even _call_ anyone in real time!" She let out a frustrated scream, and clenched at her hair.

Zechs then felt bad for doing what he had.

"Noin-"

He was interrupted by a loud, low rumble, approaching with rapid speed.

Both of them turned, to look out the large windows, eyes bulging.

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Lol… sorry for the long wait, but here is the entirety of 3 at last.

4 will be on its way soon enough, as I'm looking forward to writing it!

See you again soon! Hope to hear what you thought of this chapter.


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